This invention relates to a waste separator associated with a carding machine which, in a pre-carding zone, has a licker-in or a licker-in pair formed of adjoining first and second licker-ins.
A first cleaning phase (waste removal from the fibers) is effected at the first licker-in as the fibers travel along the circumference of the first licker-in. In the precarding zone there are further provided first and second plates which extend at a radial distance from the second licker-in along a circumferential part thereof and which together define a waste exit opening. The first and second plates control a second cleaning phase of the fibers by causing the fibers to form a fiber lap or bat which exits from the second licker-in through the outlet opening formed between the two plates. The first and second plates are provided at their mutually opposite ends with articulations for regulating the exit of fiber material between the two plates and for adjusting their distance with respect to the second licker-in.
In a known arrangement a second cleaning phase of the fibers to be carded is effected subsequent to the first cleaning phase. The second cleaning phase serves to separate short-length fibers and tiny waste particles from the useful fibers to be fed to the main carding cylinder. For this purpose, between the two licker-ins of the pre-carding zone the earlier-noted first plate is installed which has a wedge-shaped terminus whose flanks conform to the circumference of the respective first and second licker-in. The first plate gathers the waste into a lap or bat which leaves the second licker-in with the aid of the air stream generated by the rotation of the second licker-in.
By virtue of pivotally supporting the two plates at their mutually opposite ends they may be angularly adjusted to vary the separating effect and to regulate (dose) the pressure of the conveying air stream for the waste lap.
It has been found, however, that even after the second cleaning phase there still remain residual particles and waste which thus do not exit through the outlet zone but continue their travel with the second licker-in and consequently gain access to the main carding cylinder and eventually leave the same with the web produced by the carding cylinder.